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The Challenge
In Canada no single agency has been
responsible at a national level for indoor environments and their impacts on
health and productivity. Rather, the responsibility has been fragmented across a
number of agencies such as Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Health
Canada, and Public Works and Government Services Canada. Further, a wide range
of stakeholders are involved in creating and maintaining healthier indoor
environments - from architects, builders and engineers, to purchasing agents,
HVAC consultants, and building cleaning staff and services. This situation had
been a key obstacle to promoting healthier indoor environments in Canada. The
challenge was to engage the key stakeholders in working more closely together to
support improvements across the country.
Our Approach
CULLBRIDGE was invited by Pollution Probe to co-lead this work, which grew
out of our earlier work together on Voluntary Measures. Together, we
secured funding and participation from key government and industry organizations, and
carried out the project.
Best Practices Review
Stakeholder Consultation and Engagement
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Developed a draft, national, multi-stakeholder strategy
for discussion, harmonized with the U.S. EPA's Healthy Buildings - Healthy
People process.
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Created and facilitated an on-line
consultation and community-building forum
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Facilitated three day-long face-to-face
forums in Vancouver, Ottawa and Halifax.
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Published an e-mail newsletter to report progress and related
Indoor Environment news and resources
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Revised the draft strategy and
formulated action plans based
on the comments received.
Establishment of the Partnership
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Facilitated
one year of organizational meetings during which we brought together a
Steering Committee of key stakeholders that eventually became the Board of
Directors
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Developed
the new organization's draft mission, vision, business plan, Articles of
Incorporation and By-laws for the formation of the new organization
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Incorporated
the new organization as a not-for-profit
Organizational
Development and
Management
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Developed a
brand and visual identity for the new organization
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Developed
a membership and privacy policy, membership package and Annual Report
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Launched
HIP to professionals through a series of workshops, conferences and articles
in trade magazines.
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Provide
ongoing Executive Director services to the new organization
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Created
and continue to develop and maintain a new Website for the organization,
including a clearinghouse of related resources and news, at www.healthyindoors.com
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Continue
to write an e-mail
newsletter to report progress and related
Indoor Environment news and resources
Collaborators
This was a joint project of CULLBRIDGE, Pollution Probe and the Summerhill
Group. We have since involved over a dozen sponsors and thirty supporting partners.
Results
Stakeholder Consultation and Engagement
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Twelve sponsors and 30 supporting
partners;
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Over 160 participants at face-to-face
forums; and
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About 1,000 on-line participants who, on average, each downloaded the
discussion documents once and viewed an average of eight web pages of
information.
Work of the Partnership
In
2003, HIP moved from being a vision to an on-the-ground organization with
members carrying out projects across Canada.
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HIP's
Research Committee consolidates and integrates the activities of national
research and technology organizations. In 2003 it conducted a stakeholder and expert consultation forum
that brought together eighty
experts to establish Canadian knowledge and research needs related to mould
in the indoor environment. The Committee also started a Directory of Research
Experience.
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The
Marketing Committee helped launch HIP and organized
the first of an ongoing series of special inserts in the media focused on indoor air
quality.
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The
Guidelines and Best Practices Committee began its work of developing
guidance in the form of guideline and best practice documents for the
design, construction, commissioning, operation, management and maintenance
of buildings that enclose living and work spaces.
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The
Education
and Outreach Committee helped launch HIP, and brought together a team of organizations to
help implement a Canadian version of the popular U.S. EPA IAQ Tools for
Schools.
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